Reasons to be Cheerful and/or Thankful posts are something I usually do to remember that life isn’t all doom and gloom, which is why they featured so prominently when I was unemployed and in November and the run up to Christmas when I need to focus my SAD brain on the good things about my life.

I’m a firm believer that moods are like muscles, the more we exercise them, the stronger they become. Just as we need to exercise our bodies regularly to see results, the same applies to our minds. So during each month, I’m going to actively focus on the things in my life that bring me joy and I’ll write about them here at the end of each month.

1) New glasses. I can see clearly now and not through a fog caused by how scratched the old ones were.  2) Daffodils and the arrival of Spring. Spring is coming and the clocks have gone forward, hurrah for the change of seasons and the arrival of lighter days (although the slightly darker mornings suck!). 3) Time with my family, we had lunch for Mother’s Day and played games. If you had told me 15 years ago, that our family would get together for lunch and playing games, without arguments, tantrums (occasionally from the 5 year old!) or general stress, I’m not sure I would have believed you but here we are.4) Doing the right thing. I try to be a nice person all the time but this month, I did some reaching out that took me out of my comfort zone, with good results.

5) Lunchtime classes at the gym. I enjoy them and I feel better for doing them. Also the gym membership through work costs £12 a month. Yeah, I get taxed on it but it’s so cheap, so I’m grateful for the girls at work for pushing me towards it and work that provide the perk.

6) Dinners that you don’t have to cook, which are always the best dinners.

7) The mind blowing creativity of a 3 year old with Lego!